


Winners

by IJM



Category: General Hospital
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:47:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26669197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IJM/pseuds/IJM
Summary: Little more than a drabble. Scene post 9/25/20 episode.
Relationships: Franco and Elizabeth Baldwin, Nik and Ava Cassadine
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Winners

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Catrina Necole](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Catrina+Necole).



“Hey, you believe me, don’t you?” Elizabeth Baldwin asked her husband as she broke their hug. “We’re okay.” She knew it, but Franco seemed unsure.

“Yeah, I know,” he responded, casually leaning against a table in the conference room. He tilted his head to one side, “But it’s nice to hear it.”

Elizabeth approached him and placed her hand against his cheek. “I see Bobby in your eyes.” Her voice was soft.

He immediately looked away. “I know. I’m insecure. It’s annoying.”

“You’re not annoying me,” Elizabeth sighed, putting just enough pressure against his face to make him return his gaze to her. “I just wish you had enough faith—”

He crossed his arms. “Faith is kind of new to me. I want to have faith. Intellectually, I know I should. But when it comes down to it, believing in something is hard.”

“Or someone,” Elizabeth added.

“I believe in you,” Franco said quickly. “But when it comes to us, half of us is me, and…” he exhaled. How could he explain that the half of _us_ that was _him_ was going to screw things up? It was inevitable, wasn’t it? Isn’t that what he always did, ever since his days as _Bobby_? Bobby had every reason to believe he would lose anything good in his life. 

“Franco,” Elizabeth took both his hands in hers. “I have the faith in you that you lack.”

He made a sound like a sob caught before it could escape and lifted her hand to his lips. “I don’t know why.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “You’ve proven yourself over and over.”

“I believe in you, you know,” he said. “I trust you. I don’t trust Nik. I don’t trust Ava anymore either.” His expression darkened.

Elizabeth frowned. Franco trusted very few people in the world. In fact, she and Scotty were probably the only two people left that he did trust. His friendship with Ava had been important to him. It had gone through ups and downs, but they had been in a good place until Ava decided that money meant more to her. 

“You know, friendship ebbs and flows,” she shrugged. “I thought I was getting Nikolas back as my friend. I was obviously wrong.”

“Obviously,” Franco agreed. 

“Suffice to say, I don’t think Nik and I will be friends again, but never say _never_ right?” 

“When it comes to that creep, always say _never_.”

“You’re right. I was just trying to keep the possibility of mending fences with Ava open for you.”

“Kiki’s gone,” Franco said. “She’s the only thing that connected us.”

“She’s not the only thing,” Elizabeth reminded him. “You loved her once upon a time.” Elizabeth had been painfully reminded of that when she saw the photo of her husband kissing his ex-lover.

“Like a century ago,” he argued. “Like you and Nik.”

“It wasn’t quite that ancient,” Elizabeth admitted. 

Franco stepped away, turning his back to Elizabeth for a moment. His face expressed his disgust with the topic. “I don’t want to talk about Nik and Ava. They’re our past and the past needs to stay buried, right?”

Elizabeth sucked in her breath. There were so many things wrong with his statement. “I’m not going to bury them. I’m going to keep them out in the open, so I never forget or fall back into a pattern of giving Nik the benefit of the doubt.”

“You don’t exactly have a lot of friends either,” Franco said. “I know you wish Nik was the friend you used to have.”

“Yeah, I do,” she agreed. “But he’s not. There’s no way around it. He’s chosen his money and position over his son, over his own happiness, and over our friendship. He can wallow in his misery and his money.”

“We’re not keeping the money,” Franco announced. “I don’t want it.”

Elizabeth looked confused. “What changed your mind?”

“It’s wrong, for starters, and I am trying to be a better person. But, more than that, I think that money is cursed. Nik and Ava are two people who should be on top of the world, carefree. They should wander the streets doing good for others because their lives are so good. But that damn money has them scheming, lying, destroying relationships, neglecting their kids, destroying themselves… and why? For _more_?” He shook his head. “I don’t want any part of it.”

“Let them deliver the money to each other and realize they both cheated,” Elizabeth suggested. 

“Works for me,” Franco laughed. “Of course, Pops should be there to film the encounter so we can at least get a laugh out of this since we’re not going to get a quarter of a million dollars.”

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her husband. “I’ll take laughter with you over a wad a cash any day.”

Franco ran his hand through her hair breathing in her scent. “I wouldn’t trade this for all the money in the world.” 


End file.
